專家解析大學英語四級考試歷年閱讀真題(十四)

　　這是一篇評論社會問題的文章，文章核心是當今兒童所肩負的壓力問題。文章采用了經(jīng)典的論說文結(jié)構(gòu)：首先提出問題(第一段)，而后分析問題(第二段)，最后解決問題(其余部分)。

　　第一段很長，而且多是比較復雜的長句，這與它“提出問題”這一功能有關(guān)，長句往往信息容量更大，邏輯也較清晰，能夠更好地向人呈現(xiàn)問題的方方面面，語氣也較為客觀。在解決問題階段，作者多使用短句，是因為這時文章的功能已經(jīng)轉(zhuǎn)換為向父母們傳授經(jīng)驗方法，短句接近口語，親切感更強，有“諄諄教誨”的意思。

　　第一句話的基本結(jié)構(gòu)是I’m skeptical about research(我懷疑某些研究的價值)，至于是什么樣的研究，作者用從句做了詳細說明，后面的that代指research。從句的意思是說這些研究總是得出結(jié)論說現(xiàn)在的人們?nèi)绾伪?0年前的人或快樂或不快樂等等。作者在第一句首先表明了一個觀點，就是把不同歷史時代的人們進行對比是沒有意義的。隨后就道出了原因：這種對比有可能是正確的，但在實證上無法得到論證(While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically)。前兩句占了第一段內(nèi)容的一半，但實際上與文章的核心內(nèi)容(兒童壓力問題)關(guān)系不大，作者之所以如此濃墨重彩是為了突出其對一項關(guān)于不同時代兒童所受壓力的研究的驚訝之情，進而增加讀者對文章核心論題的關(guān)注度。

　　第一段后半部分開始提出本文討論的問題：normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago，現(xiàn)在的正常孩子比50年前接受精神治療的孩子所受的壓力還要大。這一觀點確實聳人聽聞，難怪作者要為此臨時拋棄舊有的觀念。

　　第二段第一句話是Why are America’s kids so stressed?為什么美國的孩子承受了如此重壓?很顯然這里是要分析原因了。后面給出了兩個原因，一個是孤獨(physical isolation)，另一個是認識到世界更加危險了(the world is a more dangerous place)。

　　后面的部分都是對如何解決這一問題提出的忠告。

　　首先就是要向孩子傳達個人主義存在局限的觀念(limits of individualism)，孩子不是孤島，社會聯(lián)系可以為孩子減輕壓力的沖擊。

　　為了幫助孩子與他人建立更加緊密的聯(lián)系，可以拔掉電視和電腦的插頭，這樣他們就有了更多的時間與人面對面地交往，也有了更多的睡眠時間(They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep)。

　　減少孩子接觸虛擬暴力的機會。不僅包括視頻游戲、電影，在新聞上也出現(xiàn)了太多的謀殺、犯罪(children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news)。

　　不要對孩子的期望值過高。要知道許多成功人士從來沒上過哈佛或是耶魯大學(Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale)。

　　最后是要給孩子們做出榜樣，告訴他們?nèi)绾螒獙�壓力。方法就是堅持鍛煉身體，這可以向孩子傳達一個信息：有時憂慮是不可避免的，但那不至于毀了你的生活。

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.

　　It is easier to negotiate initial salary requirement because once you are inside, the organizational constraints (約束) influence wage increases. One thing, however, is certain: your chances of getting the raise you feel you deserve are less if you don’t at least ask for it. Men tend to ask for more, and they get more, and this holds true with other resources, not just pay increases. Consider Beth’s story:

　　I did not get what I wanted when I did not ask for it. We had cubicle (小隔間) offices and window offices. I sat in the cubicles with several male colleagues. One by one they were moved into window offices, while I remained in the cubicles, several males who were hired after me also went to offices. One in particular told me he was next in line for an office and that it had been part of his negotiations for the job. I guess they thought me content to stay in the cubicles since I did not voice my opinion either way.

　　It would be nice if we all received automatic pay increases equal to our merit, but “nice” isn’t a quality attributed to most organizations. If you feel you deserve a significant raise in pay, you’ll probably have to ask for it.

　　Performance is your best bargaining chip (籌碼) when you are seeking a raise. You must be able to demonstrate that you deserve a raise. Timing is also a good bargaining chip. If you can give your boss something he or she needs (a new client or a sizable contract, for example) just before merit pay decisions are being made, you are more likely to get the raise you want.

　　Use information as a bargaining chip too. Find out what you are worth on the open market.

　　What will someone else pay for your services?

　　Go into the negotiations prepared to place your chips on the table at the appropriate time and prepared to use communication style to guide the direction of the interaction.

　　26. According to the passage, before taking a job, a person should ________.

　　A) demonstrate his capability

　　B) give his boss a good impression

　　C) ask for as much money as he can

　　D) ask for the salary he hopes to get(D)